Bolingbrook residents express safety concerns about low-flying planes near Clow Airport

One week after a small plane crash in Bolingbrook that injured two people on board near Clow International Airport, residents are raising safety concerns about planes flying too low.

Several flight schools fly in and out of the airport.

Neighbors say the noise is constant, but after the crash, their questions about safety became more urgent.

For neighbors living around Clow Airport, planes flying by has become a familiar sight, sound, and, they say, an increasingly concerning one.

"It's all the time. It starts at, I would say, 7:30 in the morning every day and lasts until night time, when the sun goes down," said resident Ellen Cannon.

Cannon and her family live right by the airport. She says her video shows small planes flying low and repeatedly circling over their neighborhoods and above an elementary school — the same school her 1-year-old son Michael will eventually go to.

"When my son goes there, I want to make sure there's nothing in this area that's adding to the risk of their lives."

The concerns about both noise and safety have been building for months, with neighbors calling for fewer flights and then came last week's crash.

Two people were hospitalized after a small plane went down in a field near a park

"After this crash, it really has put into perspective how close it could be and how fatal it could be and how fatal it could be," Cannon said.

As for which agency is ultimately responsible —that's a gray area.

The village owns Clow International Airport. In a statement to CBS News Chicago, the mayor says it does not control the airspace or regulate aircraft operations around it.

The village says those responsibilities fall under the Federal Aviation Administration. However, the FAA, in a statement, says that at an airport without a traffic control tower like Clow, they would monitor but not restrict those operations.

Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport in Chicago is an uncontrolled airport, meaning it does not have an air traffic control tower. Pilots use a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to regularly announce their position to other pilots in the airport's vicinity.

The FAA does not prohibit or limit operations at uncontrolled airports. Pilots are responsible for maintaining safe separation from other aircraft and must comply with all Federal Aviation Regulations, including minimum visibilities, minimum safe altitudes, and right-of-way rules, the FFA said.

As for those noise complaints, the FAA said addressing that issue takes a collaborative effort.

"The FAA is committed to meaningful dialogue with communities. The agency continuously works to help reduce the number of people exposed to aviation noise in communities around airports. Addressing this concern requires collaboration among the FAA, air carriers, airports, aircraft manufacturers, research universities, local communities, and elected officials. If a community is concerned about aircraft noise, the best course of action is to contact their local aviation community roundtable or airport operator. The FAA can then work with airport operators to determine if the aircraft noise can be mitigated through changes in air traffic procedures."

Neighbors are hoping for a conversation with those agencies about where flight-training exercises are taking place.

"I just want to make sure that they are operating safely. When you have a flight school that is teaching pilots how to fly, I would think it would be a priority to make sure that they also have a safe place to land while they're learning how to fly planes," Cannon said.

Neighbors say they'll continue documenting the flights and pushing officials for answers.

The village says it will continue monitoring operations within the scope of its authority.

Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta says there is no set number of flights or complaints that requires an airport to reduce activity.

CBS News Chicago has reached out to airport leaders at Clow Airport. They have not responded to our request for comment.

Full statement from Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta

Clow does not have a control tower, but that does not mean its operations are unregulated. Aircraft and pilots remain subject to FAA rules. The Illinois Division of Aeronautics also inspected the airport in late August as part of its State Comprehensive Inspection and review of the FAA Airport Master Record. Its September 3 letter reported that Clow was in generally good physical condition and complied with Illinois Aviation Safety Rules.

You raise a fair question about who addresses noise and flight frequency. The Village owns Clow and works with airport management to address local noise concerns. The FAA governs the use of airspace and sets the federal requirements that affect whether and how airport operations may be restricted. Referring residents to the FAA was meant to address concerns about aircraft operations, not to suggest the Village has no responsibility.

There is no set number of flights or complaints that automatically requires an airport to reduce activity. We also continue to review specific complaints and work with operators on measures to reduce noise and residential overflights where safely possible.